The Boy that Ran with Pokemon
by amethystdreamstar
Summary: Response to bleach2121XX's challenge. Ash's father never left, instead he stayed an became abusive to Ash and Delia. One night Ash goes over the edge and he runs away to Oaks ranch where he keeps Pokemon. There he lives out he childhood forever changed...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Everything you recognize belongs to the owners of the show and the game. I make no money off of this. Only the plot is mine.**

**The Boy Who Runs With Pokémon**

**Prologue**

A strange yellow mouse was running through the paved streets of a bustling city. He looked quite strange for a mouse. First of all, he was much too big to be a mouse, standing at over a foot when he was on his back legs and probably weighing close to 15 pounds. Secondly, his colour was all wrong. No normal mouse could ever possibly be the particular shade of bright yellow that coloured most of the mouse's body. Its ears were also too long and flat, instead of round, with the ends coloured black instead of the yellow that covered the rest of its body. The mouse-like creature had a strangely large zigzag shaped tail that had a bit of brown at the base, which was also the colour of the two stripes on its back. While all of these things were odd, there was one that stood out from the rest, and it was this one change that made the mouse-creature much more dangerous than he appeared to be.

Faint sparks of electricity were being emitted from small red circles on its cheeks as the creature ran.

Instead of the strange oddity causing fear or panic in the city, the people walking and running around the city paid little mind to the creature. To an outsider, it would appear that strange creatures that could emit electricity from its body were a common occurrence. They would be right.

You see, this strange creature was a Pikachu, an electric-type Pokémon. Pokémon, short for Pocket Monsters, have existed since time immemorial, and were even said to have had a hand in creating the entire universe. Not everyone believes it, but no one can deny that Pokémon were an intimate part of the world that they lived in. Pokémon of all different shapes and sizes were found in both the wild and as companions to humans. Wild Pokémon could be very dangerous and children were told from a young age to be careful around them unless you had your own companion Pokémon with you. Companion Pokémon were extremely loyal to their masters, more commonly known as trainers since very few people ever gained the title of 'Pokémon Master'.

Pikachu was one such companion Pokémon, and he could think of no better trainer than the one he had. His trainer was brave, loyal, honourable, kind to both Pokémon and people, and many other things that the Pikachu couldn't be bothered to name. His trainer pushed Pikachu and his other Pokémon to their limits, always wanting his companions to be the strongest they could be so that they could protect themselves and not get hurt in battles, of which they saw many. Of all the battles they fought, his trainer's team rarely ever lost because of all the training he put them, and himself, through. Their prowess in battle gave his trainer quite the reputation, which is why Pikachu was currently searching for him. Ash had made a quick getaway after he evaded some news reporters who wanted to speak with the infamous Ash Ketchum.

Yes, his trainer was _the_ Ash Ketchum, the boy who ran with Pokémon, the silent battler, the man who villains stood no chance against, whether they be a regular street thug or were part of a crime organization, the chosen one.

Pikachu would have continued his list, but at that moment he caught a whiff of his Ash's scent, making Pikachu lose his train of thought while he picked up the pace. He had not meant to get separated from Ash, but he could not resist the ketchup that was sitting so tantalizingly on the diner table across the street. Just as Pikachu began to enjoy himself, the reporters had shown up and swamped Ash, making it impossible for Pikachu to get to him. Ash had called his flying-fire type Pokémon Charizard to him and taken flight without even having the Pokémon touch the ground, knowing Pikachu would be able to find him.

Pikachu's thoughts drifted back to when he first met Ash. He had been so young then, though still older than most boys usually were when they started their Pokémon journey. They had been through so much since then. They had met new friends in the forms of Pokémon and people, as well as enemies. They had watched many strange and miraculous events, being forever changed by them. Each and every member of Ash's team had joined at different times and extremely different circumstances, but they all had one thing in common, their love for their trainer. Any one of Ash's Pokémon would die for him, just like he would for them. Ash's Pokémon were his family, even more than his human family. The only human being he considered family was his mother, but she…

"Pikachu!"

There he was! Pikachu ran as fast as he could towards his trainer, becoming a blur of yellow to the human eye. Pikachu lept into the arms of his trainer and said happily, "Pika!"

Pikachu affectionately rubbed his face against Ash's chin. He wanted his trainer to know how much he missed him even in the short amount of time they were separated.

Ash laughed. "I missed you too Pikachu," he said softly, "I just couldn't deal with all the people crowding around me. It was too much and I had to get out of there."

Pikachu understood, climbed onto Ash's shoulder so they could begin walking towards the edge of the city. They walked mostly in silence, enjoying just being in each other's presence. Unfortunately, the silence wasn't meant to last.

"There he is!" A woman's voice sounded from somewhere behind them.

Ash and Pikachu turned around and saw at least twenty reporters and fans down the street staring at them. Wasting no time, Pikachu jumped of Ash's shoulder and the two of them began to run, the crowd hot in pursuit.

Ash and Pikachu were both relieved to hear the roar of Charizard from above them. The flying Pokémon flew low to the ground and Ash quickly jumped on his back, with Pikachu only a second behind. For the second time that day, Ash escaped his followers on the back of his beloved Charizard but unlike the previous time, Pikachu was with him. When Pikachu was with him, Ash felt he could even take down legendary Pokémon.

Thinking of another flying Pokémon not too far from them in the forest surrounding the city, Ash smirked as he recalled that with Pikachu at his side, they had done much more than just take on legendaries…

**PIKACHUPIKACHUPIKACHU**

**amethystdreamstar: Hey everyone, this is amethystdreamstar here with a brand new idea courtesy of** **bleach2121XX and their challenge. I combined several of the challenges bleach2121XX gave and selected most of the points. If you wish to see the challenges, check bleach2121XX's profile, but I won't tell you what parts of which challenge I'm using :P**

**One note I would like to make, a 1000 word chapter is extremely short for me. I usually write around 10k word chapters, but for some reason I can never write prologues to be that long.**

**I plan on using a cross between the games and the show. I'll include some episodes, but will also include some aspects from the game such as Team Rocket battles, item finding, etc. Ash will also catch more Pokémon than just the ones from the show.**

**On that note, I have one question. Ash never named any of his Pokémon, I was wondering if I should name some/all of them, besides Pikachu of course, or maybe just the Pokémon that he will catch but didn't catch on the show? Review to let me know what you think :)**

April 1st, 2012


	2. Episode One: Beautiful Sadness

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Everything you recognize belongs to the owners of the show and the game. I make no money off of this. Only the plot is mine.**

**Warning****: In this chapter there will be things that some readers may find disturbing. There will be swearing and abuse of the physical and mental kind. Abuse is a serious topic and almost everyone has or knows someone who has been affected by abuse. If this strongly affects you, I suggest skipping over that part of the chapter (I will put a warning).**

**The Boy Who Runs With Pokémon**

**Episode 1: Beautiful Sadness**

Pallet Town was a small, out of the way community that was a very peaceful place. Hardly any wild Pokémon sought to bother those that dwell in the town, and crime rates were nearly non-existent. Travellers rarely, if ever, visited this sleepy town, to the joy of many inhabitants and to the sorrow of others. This solitude drew several brilliant minds such as Professor Oak, the famed Pokémon researcher, to the quiet town so that they could work and study in relative peace as well as be away from not only the press, but also the regular hustle and bustle of a normal city.

Everyone in Pallet Town led joyful, happy lives…almost. There was one family that didn't share the same happiness that was common among everyone else in the community. This family was the Ketchums. On the outside they acted like a perfect, happy, loving family but behind closed doors… they were anything but.

While everyone else in Pallet Town slept on in blissful unawareness to the hidden happenings of their neighbours, the youngest Ketchum lay awake in his bed staring morosely at the ceiling as he contemplated his father's secret actions.

Ash Ketchum was just 4 years old, but that didn't mean he was stupid like his father said he was. He knew that the way his father treated him and his mother wasn't right, despite the fact that his father always told him it was his fault. He could tell by the way that the other kids in Pallet Town acted with their fathers that his father was the one in the wrong, not him.

That didn't mean what he said didn't hurt. Ash's eyes started to burn as he thought of the horrible things his father had said to him in drunken rage earlier that night. _'Worthless… good for nothing… waste of space… bitch… accident…'_ these thoughts and more swirled around Ash's mind, making the tears that had previously only burned his eyes slowly fall down his cheeks. Every day the process repeated, whether or not his father had decided to hit the alcohol, and every day Ash was left to cry himself to sleep, wishing things would change and that they could just have a normal family, or that his father would just leave.

Ash's mother was the only bright light in his life. She would come into his room most nights and hold Ash while he cried, whispering in his ear that all the things his father told him were not true and that he was a wonderful boy. Ash's mother would even try to drag his father's attention away from Ash, even if it was onto herself. Delia Ketchum truly had a heart of gold.

His mom had also told Ash that his father was not always like this. She had told him stories of the man she fell in love with, how he was kind, caring, funny… a true pleasure to be around. When Ash was born, Mr. Ketchum had left on a Pokémon journey in hopes of making a name, and some money, for himself and his family. After a while Delia lost touch with her husband suddenly and she feared that he may have had a terrible accident. After months with no contact with her husband, Delia had resigned herself to raising Ash alone. Only days after Delia had come to this decision, Mr. Ketchum returned home a changed man.

It had been difficult to notice the changes at first, since to everyone else he acted the same old Jack Ketchum. Only when he was in private did Mr. Ketchum let his true colours show. Gone were the sweet, caring words he had addressed to his wife and son and in their place were cruel, hurtful words that tore at Delia's heart. As much as Delia wanted to, she knew she couldn't leave. Delia didn't have a job of her own or any Pokémon to protect her on the road if she wanted to try and make it in another city. She was also afraid that Mr. Ketchum would try to follow her and Ash if they tried to leave.

Ash cowered beneath his blankets as he heard his father's voice in another part of the house, followed by the distinct sound of a smack. Ash flinched as he heard the sound and rubbed his cheek in remembrance of earlier that night, when his father had done that to _him_. Ash was very grateful that his father only sometimes hit him when he was drunk, but those once-rare occurrences were happening more and more frequently.

Ash just wanted it to stop, but he was too afraid to do anything about it. He couldn't tell anyone about it because his father told him that no one would believe him and Ash would get beat something awful if he even hinted about what was going on to anyone outside the household. Ash couldn't even stand up for himself in front of his father, he was too afraid.

Ash was afraid that things were going to get worse. The verbal lashings that Mr. Ketchum sent out where always horrible, but lately they had been like whips of fire raining down without pause when Ash was in the man's presence. That, not to mention the increasing amounts of physical attacks, made staying at home a virtual nightmare for Ash, even with the support of his mother. A great, gaping hole filled Ash's chest as he thought of how his mother must feel, having to protect herself and her son from the man she once loved.

Life was not fair, Ash decided.

Ash slowly drifted off to sleep, tears still falling from his eyes and his father's angry voice ringing in his ears.

'_**Pain of mind is worse than pain of body' Publilius Syrus**_

Almost exactly a year had passed, and things had gotten worse for Ash and Delia. Ash's father hit them sometimes even when he wasn't drunk, and sometimes threw in a quick kick or two in as well. The hurtful things he had been saying to them had also gotten much, much worse, leaving Ash in an almost constant state of depression.

Ash had now come to hate his father, even though he never showed it. The man made the lives of Delia and Ash Ketchum so difficult, and would never tell them a reason why. Ash wanted nothing more than to take his mother and run away so that they wouldn't have to see that horrible man anymore, but his mother told him that would be impossible since they didn't have any money or Pokémon to get to a new city.

"Ashy-boy!" a voice called out from behind where Ash was sitting on the grass, making him turn around.

Walking towards him with a confident smile on his face and a glint in his black eyes was Gary Oak. He was Ash's best friend and one of the only people whom Ash could smile around. He was Ash's age but was slightly taller than Ash, and he always walked with a confident swagger. Gary could be a little arrogant at times, but was always nice to Ash and often played with him when he wasn't busy helping his grandfather with something.

"Hey Gary," Ash said somewhat dejectedly, still thinking about his dismal family life, "what's up?"

Gary came to a stop beside him and held a hand out for Ash. He smiled at Ash and Ash tried his best to smile back, but he wasn't sure if it worked. Not giving Ash any time to breathe, Gary tugged on his hand and started dragging Ash back towards Pallet Town.

"What are you doing Gary?" Ash asked in confusion.

Gary continued to head towards Pallet Town, towing and not answering the confused Ash for several minutes. Ash was about to resign himself to this whole thing just being one of Gary's strange plans but then Gary suddenly stopped, glanced around wearily before turning to Ash.

"A trainer sent a pretty rare Pokémon to Gramps earlier today for him to look at," Gary whispered as if the happening was a huge secret, "he said we could see it if we want to, but we aren't allowed to tell anyone else about it."

Ash's excitement peaked. One of the only bright spots in Ash's life was Pokémon. They were never mean to him for no reason, unlike his father. The smaller Pokémon that hung around Pallet Town always had time to play with him when he was lonely, and the larger ones were almost protective of Ash, to his slight confusion… not that he was complaining or anything. Ash felt no greater joy than when he was with Pokémon, large or small. Gary knew this, and made it his mission to bring Ash to his Gramps' place as often as he could so he could see a smile light up his sad friend's face.

A large smile grew on Ash's face, as he recalled that Gary said that they would be able to see not just any Pokémon, but a _rare_ Pokémon. Ash grabbed Gary's arm and started dragging him toward his Gramps' place, "Well let's go then!" Ash said happily, his previous mood completely forgotten.

Gary laughed at the reverse of positions. He shook his arm loose and started running, Ash not a second behind him.

In no time at all the two boys reached Gary's Gramps' place. From the direction they were running in, they reached the edge of the property line just as the building the elder Oak lived in came into sight. It looked similar to a farmhouse with its red roof and the windmill running behind it, not to mention it was huge. The building stood almost imposingly atop a large hill with numerous trees surrounding the building and the path to the gate. Two rows of windows above a set of double doors allowed light to pass into the taller portion of the building, and the rest of the building was coloured a soft creamy-beige colour.

While Ash knew the building was impressive, it did not bring up nearly as much awe and excitement as the sounds he could hear coming from behind the large hedge fence he was running beside. Cries of various Pokémon could barely be heard, spurring the excitement Ash already felt inside him to new heights. Ash pushed his legs to run faster so he could see what the professor had to show them.

Yes, Gary's Gramps is the world-renowned Pokémon professor, Professor Oak. He was considered by many to be _the_ Pokémon Professor, but the two boys never thought of him like that. To them, he was just a loving grandfather, who took care of Pokémon and often showed them really, _really_ cool things.

They both paused at the gate to the property panting slightly while Gary pulled out his key to the gate. Well, it wasn't actually _his_ key. Gary had 'borrowed' it from his mother for the day so that he could get into the lab. Mrs. Oak didn't approve of Gary's obsession with Pokémon since she wanted him to do something else 'successful' with his life, so she tried to keep visits to the Pokémon Research Lab to a minimum.

The second the boys heard the 'click' signalling the opening of the gate they took off, leaving the now unlocked-gate to swing shut behind them.

In no time at all, Ash and Gary had reached the top of the hill and burst through the doors of the lab with a large BANG! They heard a bit of grumbling coming from another room and shared an excited grin. They followed the sound of the voice up the stairs and down a hallway where they found a door slightly ajar. Through the gap in the door the two boys could just see the gray hair on the back of the professor's head. The man in question seemed to be alternating between writing stuff down and looking to his right at something beyond the boys' sight, all the while grumbling about 'loud boys who can't leave a man to work in peace'.

"Hey!" Gary shouted as he plowed through the door, "I'm not loud!"

Professor Oak whirled around, allowing Ash to see him fully. He was wearing his customary lab coat overtop of a collared red shirt and beige pants. He looked slightly tired but happy to see the two boys, despite all of his complaining earlier. He was holding a large clipboard in one hand and a black fountain pen in the other.

"Of course you aren't Gary," Professor Oak said with a grin, "then why did you shout when you arrived in the room? Surely that could not be considered quiet."

A rose-coloured tint appeared on Gary's cheeks, making Ash hold back a giggle. Gary could get rather defensive when anyone laughed at him. Ash didn't want to lose his only human friend so he tended to keep quiet about anything strange that Gary said… especially if Ash knew it to be untrue.

Having no good answer for Professor Oak's question, Gary changed the subject.

"What did you have to show us Gramps?" Gary asked earnestly, blush fading from his cheeks as he remembered why they were here in the first place.

Ash looked at Professor Oak eagerly, but remained silent for fear of having Professor Oak change his mind.

"Ah, yes," exclaimed Professor Oak as he put down his clipboard and brought a Pokéball out of his pocket. Behind and to the right of the professor sitting on the desk was an Oddish which was currently swaying its blue body back and forth, making the five leaves on its head wobble erratically. The Pokémon showed no resistance when Professor Oak called it back to its Pokéball, even though Ash knew that it didn't belong to the Professor.

"Follow me boys," Professor Oak said seriously. The professor's tone of voice only served to make the two boys even more excited, if that was even possible.

Professor Oak led the two five year olds out of the room they were in and further down the hall. Ash could feel the anticipation building within him as the three walked. Every time they neared a new door, Ash felt his anticipation spike only to have it drop slightly when the professor kept walking.

Ash was nearly bouncing on the spot in excitement when the professor finally stopped in front of the last door of the hall. Next to him, Gary stood more calmly but you could tell from the look in his eyes that he was just as excited as Ash. Time seemed to pass incredibly slowly as Professor Oak unlocked the door and walked into the dark room while holding the door open for the two boys. From the light coming in from the hallway that was faintly lighting up the room, Ash could tell that the room was completely bare, and was rather plain looking with a gray tiled floor and off-white walls. Even so, this ordinary room held something rather extraordinary.

'_This is it,' _Ash thought in excitement. Ash gave Gary a huge smile, who smiled right back at Ash in equal excitement. To an outsider it probably looked like the two boys were about to meet the Pokémon Champion, not just visiting a rare Pokémon that an old man was looking after.

Gary rushed inside after his grandfather while Ash took a deep breath before following at a much slower pace even though his excitement was running wild. The room was still dark when Ash got inside and went completely black when the door slid shut behind him. Thankfully, Professor Oak found the lights at that exact moment and turned them on, leaving the two boys a perfect, long anticipated view of the rare Pokémon that was sleeping in the corner.

And what a Pokémon it was. Scales the colour of the sky on a cloudless day shimmered like precious jewels as the Pokémon stirred in its sleep. White scales covered the belly of the serpentine body, ending at a sphere based just below the Pokémon's head that was coloured a slightly darker shade of blue than the rest of its body. Another two spheres were located just off the very tip of the Pokémon's tail, the one closer to the end being slightly smaller. Two small, white wings that looked as soft as clouds rested on either side of the Pokémon's head and between the two wings was a small white horn. Darker red eyes stared at Ash in curiosity and –

'_It's awake!'_ Ash thought in alarm as the Pokémon blinked before rising gracefully. The Pokémon had been curled up before and it wasn't until it awoke that Ash realized just how _big_ it was. _'It's gotta be over ten feet long!'_ Ash thought in a daze. The beautiful Pokémon looked at Ash curiously and despite its garnet coloured eyes, Ash was not afraid.

Ash slowly took a step forward towards the regal looking Pokémon and extended his hand. He did not notice Professor Oak's hand that reached out to stop him or Gary's worried look. All Ash could see was the Pokémon in front of him that held itself with such grace, such tranquility, that one could almost forget that it was as powerful as it was beautiful.

When Ash finally got close enough, the Pokémon elegantly lowered its head so that Ash could place his hand on its head. Ash was immensely surprised how smooth the shimmering blue scales felt beneath his hand. The Pokémon seemed to croon and shut its eyes as Ash softly ran his hand through the wing on the left side of its head. _'I've never felt anything so soft,'_ Ash thought in wonder as he gently stroked the angelic looking feathers.

"It's a Dragonair."

Ash started slightly at the unexpected sound of Professor Oak's voice but kept on petting the amazingly beautiful Pokémon before him.

"What type of Pokémon is it Gramps?" Ash heard Gary say.

Ash could almost hear the smile and excitement in the professor's voice as he spoke to his grandson about his passion. "It's a dragon, Gary. It is the second evolution of the Dragonite family. The first evolution is a Dratini and the last is, obviously, Dragonite. They are incredibly rare and are almost never caught in the wild outside of the occasional Dratini. In fact, they are so rare and powerful the final evolution – Dragonite that is – is considered to be a Pseudo Legendary Pokémon."

Ash was in awe of the fact that he was petting such an incredible Pokémon.

Apparently, Gary was too as he suddenly began pestering his Gramps. "Can I get a Dragonite Gramps? Or even a Dratini? Please! Please! Please! Or if I can't get it now, can I get one as my starter Pokémon when I start my Pokémon journey? Please? I want to be the best Pokémon trainer ever, and to do that I need the best Pokémon there is! Ple –"

Ash almost laughed at the near-desperation in Gary's voice. The Dragonair Ash was petting also seemed to have an amused look in its dark eyes, but Ash was sure he imagined it.

"Gary, I'm sorry but you can't have a Dratini, and most definitely not a Dragonite," Professor Oak said with his voice surprisingly stern. "Very few dragon type Pokémon are ever caught by trainers, and even fewer are tamed by those who caught them. Dragons are incredibly intelligent and powerful, more so than almost any other type of Pokémon, and very few obey their trainers once caught. A very small amount of trainers can actually handle dragon-type Pokémon, and almost all of them are related to each other in some way making me think that their abilities with dragons might be genetic. I'm actually quite surprised that this Dragonair let Ash even get close to him, never mind allowing Ash to actually _touch_ him. This Dragonair is quite feisty and it took his trainer a while to get him to trust me."

The Dragonair seemed to approve of Professor Oak's speech as it raised its head a little higher. _'This Dragonair seems really intelligent,'_ Ash thought as he looked into the Pokémon's eyes, _'maybe it can tell I want to be its friend.'_

"Well boys," Professor Oak said regretfully, "I have to get back to work now so you'll have to show yourselves out. Don't forget to make sure the gate's looked when you leave." Ash heard the door open and sighed regretfully. "Come on Ash, I know you love Pokémon but I really need to get back to work."

"Bye," Ash whispered to the Dragonair sadly before he turned to see Professor Oak and Gary standing at in the doorway. He would have loved nothing more than to spend the day with the magnificent dragon, but Ash didn't want to risk not being invited back. Reluctantly, Ash began making his way towards the door. Ash had barely made it three steps before he saw the professor's eyes widen in alarm and felt something wrap around its stomach, stilling his movements.

Looking down, Ash realized that the Dragonair had wrapped its tail around his stomach in an effort to prevent Ash from leaving. Turning around, Ash was surprised to see the sadness in the Pokémon's eyes as the Dragonair looked at him almost questioningly.

"I have to go home," Ash said sadly since he too wanted to spend time with his new friend, "We'll see each other again someday. I'm sure of it."

Not expecting the Pokémon to understand a word of what he said, Ash was incredibly surprised with the Dragonair crooned sadly and reluctantly let go of him. Ash was slightly unnerved by how intelligent the Pokémon before him was, so he quickly turned away and walked towards the professor without looking back.

Only as the door to the room was falling shut did Ash dare to look back at the Dragonair. The beautiful dragon-type just stared at Ash so morosely. The scene made Ash's breath catch in his throat and he considered going back into the room and spending the rest of the day with Dragonair to make it happy again even though he may not be invited back. Just as he was about to step forward, the door slid closed with a click and Ash knew he missed his chance.

Ash walked quietly out of the lab while Gary chattered on excitedly beside him. Normally, Ash would be hanging onto every word Gary said but Ash felt strangely conflicted about what he had seen. He was still excited from seeing the majestic Dragonair, especially since it allowed Ash to pet its head. Even though he had been really happy to see the elegant Pokémon, Ash could not get the memory out of his head from when the Dragonair looked at him so sadly. It made Ash feel strangely sad as well since he had never seen a Pokémon be anything other than happy.

'_Pokémon should never be so sad,'_ Ash thought as he and Gary approached the gate, _'They are so beautiful and make so many people so happy, they deserve to be happy as well.'_

The thought was driven from Ash's mind when he heard a Gary's mom shouting for Gary to come inside for dinner. Not wanting to get caught at his Gramps' lab, Gary took off running with Ash only a second behind him. They raced down the path with a hasty, "Bye!" shouted over their shoulders as they split ways, so that each boy could head to their respective homes so that they were not late for dinner.

The boys were in such a rush to get home, they forgot to lock the gate.

'_**Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond to it.'—Unknown**_

Later that night, Ash sat miserably with his mother on the living room couch while staring blankly at the television. It was showing a Pokémon battle of a pretty strong trainer challenging the Elite Four. Normally, Ash would be ecstatic to be watching such an intense battle – the challenger's Nidoking was taking on Lorelei's Jynx and doing pretty well – but he couldn't find the energy.

When Ash had got home, his mother had noticed immediately that he was feeling sad so she tried her best to cheer him up. Delia was probably the nicest person Ash had ever met, and he didn't just think that because she was his mother. Every day, Delia was out and about around Pallet Town, helping the people with whatever they needed. When Delia wasn't helping someone, she was carefully tending to her abundant vegetable garden. Delia was a beautiful, gentle soul that always knew how to cheer someone up, and she had the most radiant smile Ash had ever seen. When she held Ash most nights after his father had passed out and sang softly to him as he cried himself to sleep, Ash would wonder how such an amazing woman like Delia ended up with such an awful man like his father.

Ash knew that his mother deserved to be treated like a princess by his father but instead, she was treated like yesterday's unwanted garbage that he was too lazy to throw away. Ash was treated that way too, but he halfway believed some of the things his father said about him so it didn't bother him as much as when Mr. Ketchum said things about Delia.

Almost a second after Delia had asked Ash what was wrong, Ash's father walked into the room and demanded his dinner that would 'not be any good anyways since she was a useless slut that couldn't cook worth a damn even if her ass was on fire'. Ash couldn't make a lot of sense out of the sentence, his father was already drunk so a lot of times what he said never made any sense, but he knew it was insulting and Ash felt his face heat up as he started to get angry. Mr. Ketchum had only laughed at Ash's expression and called him a 'weak bastard' before yanking his plate from Delia's hands and stalking back to his room.

Ash sighed, that had been several hour ago and his mom still looked upset. _'I wish we could leave,'_ Ash thought sadly as he leaned into his mother who wrapped an arm around him, _'We don't need him. 'Father' won't miss us anyways. Me and mom could run away and live by ourselves.'_

"I love you Ash," Delia whispered, "More than anything."

Snuggling closer into his mother, Ash whispered back, "I love you to Mom."

"That's going to be you someday Ash," Delia said as she gestured to the battle on TV that was still going on. "You're going to be the best Pokémon Trainer that this world has ever seen, I just know it. You'll be Ash Ketchum: Pokémon Master."

Ash looked up in surprise. Delia never really talked about Pokémon training since his father's had changed him so much. Ash had believed that his mother didn't want him to go on a journey because she didn't want his whole personality to change like his father's did.

To Ash's horror, a few tears were falling down his mother's cheeks. "What's wrong Mom?" Ash asked worriedly.

Delia gave a watery smile but Ash was still alarmed. "I wish I could be there to see it," Delia whispered so lowly Ash thought he heard wrong. "You're such a wonderful young man, Ash. I couldn't have asked for a better son. Promise me you'll try your very best to be the best trainer you can be. Not just by having the strongest Pokémon, but by having the strongest bonds with your Pokémon. And promise me that you'll always remember to change your underwear when I'm not there to make sure you do."

"Mom what –" Ash asked in confusion. Ash's mother was acting very strange.

Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs and Delia looked straight into Ash's eyes with a peculiar, almost wild look in her eyes. "Promise!" Delia said almost desperately.

Ash wanted to say something to his mother, but the words were stuck in his throat. Just then, Ash's father appeared in the living room. His eyes were slightly pink and as he looked towards the TV, he became angry.

**Warning: Instances of Abuse**

"Why the fuck are you watching this shit?" Jack Ketchum said as he whirled on them with a definite sway making Ash realize his father was very drunk. Narrowing his eyes at Ash, Jack advanced on him dangerously. "You can't possibly think that you'll be up there one day, can you? You're a worthless piece of shit that's so stupid he wouldn't know which side of the Pokéball was up."

Ash tried to push himself further into the couch as if by distancing himself from his father, he could lessen the effects the man's words had on him.

It didn't work.

"A weakling like you wouldn't even be able to make it to the first gym," Jack said with a drunken laugh. "You cry every night, I know you do. You're weak!"

Ash was unprepared for the sharp sting on the right side of his face Jack smacked his face. Normally, Jack avoided hitting parts of Ash's body that were easily visible but apparently tonight was not the case.

"Jack," Delia said as she stood up slightly in front of her son, "There was nothing else on. It's late, let's go to bed."

Jack's face looked furious. "LIAR!" he shouted as he swung clumsily at Delia. The force was so strong that it sent her flying into the china cabinet, making it shake as she crumpled to the ground.

"MOM!" Ash shouted as he stood up to help her. Ash couldn't understand what was going on. His father hit them regularly, but it was never anything like this. Fear and anger swirled in Ash's chest, and he didn't know what to do besides making sure his mother was okay.

"SHUT UP YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" Jack shouted as he lashed out at Ash drunkenly. Ash was sent flying in the opposite direction of his mother and fell against a small display case that was against the opposite wall. The case shattered as Ash's left arm went through it and he barely held back a scream of pain as he felt the glass shards bite into his arm. Ash couldn't hold back a whimper as his head and right shoulder hit the wall painfully and then he landed on his right ankle wrong, it was just too much pain.

Ash's vision blurred from the pain – or maybe it was the hit to the head? –but he forced himself to turn and see what was happening to his mother when he heard a gasp. Ash couldn't hold back his own gasp at the sight before him.

Jack was holding Delia by the throat against the china cabinet. Ash figured he was holding her pretty tightly since she was gasping for air. Ash wanted to get up and help her, but he was just too dizzy to even try and stand up. Sharp, stabbing pains shot through his ankle when he tried to put his weight on it, so even if he wasn't dizzy Ash probably couldn't make it to his mother anyways. All Ash could do was sit there and watch helplessly as his father shouted at his mother. Ash clenched his fists at how helpless he felt.

"I'M TIRED OF ALL YOUR LIES!" Jack shouted at Delia. "YOU'RE ALWAYS LIEING TO ME! I WANT IT TO STOP… NOW!"

The last word was punctuated with a loud 'BANG!' as Jack slammed Delia's head against the china cabinet.

"YOU WILL GIVE ME THE RESPECT I DESERVE YOU BITCH!" – BANG – "YOU ALWAYS DISRESPECT ME AND MAKE ME LOOK BAD!" – BANG – "THE NEIGHBOURS ARE ASKING QUESTIONS!" – BANG – "I DON'T LIKE QUESTIONS! YOU WILL MAKE SURE THE QUESTIONS STOP!" – BANG!

At the last hit, the glass shattered. Pieces of glass fell like rain and nicked Delia's beautiful face. Ash watched in horror as her eyes screwed up and pain as she gasped for air. When he couldn't bang her against the glass anymore, Jack started punching Delia with his free hand in the ribs and in the stomach repeatedly.

Tears relentlessly poured down Ash's face as he watched his father beat his mother. _'What did I do?' _Ash thought desperately, _'It was never this bad before… I must've done something…'_

Through all the pain, Delia found the strength within herself to gaze at her son and smile weakly. "Promise me," she said weakly.

Ash remembered what his mother had asked him earlier. He didn't know why she was telling him now, but Ash would promise his mother anything she asked him to at the moment.

"I promise," Ash said shakily.

Delia's smile looked a little stronger. Just when Ash thought everything was going to be okay, he heard two sharp 'Cracks!' and his mother began coughing. It looked like Jack didn't take notice of the sounds, or maybe he did and he ignored them, as kept on hitting Delia.

After a few moments everything got even worse. Ash watched in horror as blood started to seep out of Delia's lips.

"I - ," Delia seemed to struggle a lot with what she was trying to say, making an unknown feeling of dread take hold of Ash, "I lo – love … y – you … Ash."

Ash was horror stricken as Jack hit his mother one final time with a loud 'Crack!' before she slumped in his arms. Jack dropped Ash's mother like a sack of potatoes and she didn't move when she hit the ground, making the foreboding feeling Ash felt grow even stronger.

"Stupid cunt," Jack muttered before he whirled around on Ash, swaying a bit.

"What did she make you promise?" Jack demanded dangerously as he stalked towards where Ash lay on the ground.

Even if he wanted to, Ash couldn't have said anything to his father. Ash just stared at the form of his mother, pleading with his eyes for her to do something, _anything_. The tears came faster when Delia seemed to ignore his silent pleas and remained motionless.

"DON'T IGNORE ME!" Jack shouted in rage as he kicked at Ash's ribcage. Even winded, Ash couldn't take his eyes off his mother. _'Wake up,'_ Ash thought desperately.

Jack kicked him a few more times and kept shouting, but all Ash could see was his mother. Ash couldn't see her face since her long brown hair had fallen over it and onto her pink button shirt. Delia's green skirt was torn, and Ash couldn't help but notice with dismay that her legs were splayed at really awkward angles. _'I hope she didn't break them'_ Ash thought desperately as he tried to deter himself from thinking anything else could be possible. Ash only noticed that Jack had stopped kicking him then the man walked in front of Delia to get to the staircase, breaking Ash's line of sight.

**End of Abuse**

"Mom?" Ash whispered once his father had left the room while he tried to scoot his way across the room to where his mother lay. "Dad's gone now… you can wake up."

It was an agonizing process, but Ash was determined to make it to his mother. Ash used his good foot to push himself along the floor and gingerly used his arm that wasn't bleeding to drag himself the rest of the way even though his shoulder was throbbing.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ash was finally at his mother's side. "Wake up mom," Ash said softly as he gently shook her shoulder.

Delia still did not respond so Ash tried again, ignoring the feeling of dread that he felt.

"Come on mom, we can sleep in my room tonight. Just please wake up," Ash pleaded. "You promised to tell me a story."

Nothing. Ash's heart thundered in his chest as fear seized him suddenly. As panic gripped him, Ash began shaking his mother's shoulder harder in an effort to wake her.

"Wake up mom! Please!" Ash begged desperately with a panicked edge creeping into his voice. "Why won't you wake up? Come on mom! I'm bleeding on the carpet and Dad will get even madder. I need your help to clean it so you gotta wake up! Mom! M – mom? Please w-wake up! Mommy I'm scared!"

Ash hadn't even noticed he had started sobbing, nor that he had called Delia 'Mommy', something he hadn't done in two years since he had 'grown up'. Ash was more afraid than he had ever been in his whole life, and he just wanted his mom there to make everything better like she always did. _'Why won't she wake up?_' Ash thought wildly. Ash felt like his world was slowly spiralling out of control, and he didn't know why.

At that precise moment, Ash's insistent shaking made Delia's hair fall behind her head, revealing her face to Ash and making him pause in his movements. Delia's normally rosy lips were pale and the ever-present smile was missing from her beautiful face. Once vibrant, full of kindness, warmth and love for all things, Delia's brown eyes were now dull and had a glazed look.

Delia didn't blink.

"No," Ash whispered to himself in denial. "No. No, no, no, no, no NO!"

Ash couldn't bring himself to look away from his mother's blank face. It felt like the bottom of Ash's world had dropped out and raging fires burnt anything that could have been salvaged. Delia was… Ash's chest clenched in pain as he tried to think of something else, but his mind couldn't help but think of everything he knew his mother to be.

Never again would Delia sing softly to Ash when he couldn't sleep. Never again would Delia's beautiful smile light up her face, making Ash want to smile because of how happy his mother again. Never again would Delia sing with the birds as she tended to her vegetable garden while Ash played around outside. Never again …

Thoughts were whirling so fast through Ash's mind, but he couldn't seem to grasp any. Ash was scared, confused, horrified and in a lot of pain. Ash wanted to stop his hand from shaking as he tried to brush his mother's hair behind her ears. Ash wanted the pain to stop so that he could try to sleep so that he could wake up tomorrow and see that all of this was a dream – no a horrible, terrifying nightmare. But more than anything else, Ash wanted his mom to wrap her arms around him in a comforting hug and tell him everything will be alright.

'_But that will never happen,'_ Ash thought as the shock began to wear off and the tears began to fall down his face again with a vengeance, _'because she's –'_

Even in his mind, Ash couldn't bring himself to say it. Not yet.

"Mommy," Ash whispered shakily as he ran his fingers through her long brown hair. "I-I'm sorry. I should've done something. I shouldn't have made Dad so mad. I'm so sorry."

Gently, Ash closed his mother's eyelids forever and gently pushed the sides of her mouth into a slight smile. With her hair brushed back from Ash's ministrations, it looked like Delia was just sleeping peacefully. The sight was too much for Ash and he began sobbing in earnest.

"I – I h-hope they h-have v-vegetable gardens for you t-to lo-look after," Ash said between sobs. He wanted to say 'when you go to heaven' but he couldn't bring himself to say it. "I know y-you love g-gardening."

"At l-least Dad c-can't hurt you anym-more since y-your g-gone," Ash whispered before stopping cold. The words had slipped from his mouth without Ash even realizing it and suddenly it was just too much. Adrenaline began to pump through his body as Ash backed away from his mother's sleep-like form towards the kitchen where he stood up and limped towards the front door. Ash could barely feel any pain in his desperation to escape his worst nightmare. He had no idea where he was going to go, Ash only knew that he had to get away.

Ash stumbled to the door and wildly tried to turn the knob in his efforts to escape. Ash's vision began to blur horribly as the tears built up in his eyes as if they couldn't pour out fast enough and it took several attempts before the door suddenly opened and Ash fell out onto the ground. Scrambling to his feet, Ash began half-running half-limping away from his house and away from where his world had shattered.

Ash couldn't help but feel he had left a piece of himself lying with his mother, and that he would never be complete again.

Ash had no idea where he was going in the pitch black darkness of the night so he followed the road beneath his feet. No one else was awake so Ash didn't have to worry about being stopped, which was what Ash wanted since he wanted to get as far away as he could where he wouldn't be asked questions.

After a long time, Ash ended up in front of the gate that led to Professor Oak's lab. Ash could only tell where he was because some of the lights were still on in the lab and had just barely illuminated the gate. Knowing that this meant he was nearing the edge of Pallet Town, Ash wearily sat down against the gate so that he could rest for a second.

Or at least, Ash tried to sit against the gate.

The second Ash rested his full weight against the gate, it swung out behind him and he fell onto his back. Quickly scrambling out of the way of the backswing of the gate, Ash stared wide-eyed at the metal object as it swung shut again while looking to the entire world as if it was locked tight.

'_Maybe I'll just rest in Professor Oak's ranch tonight,'_ Ash thought tiredly, _'I'll plan where I'm going tomorrow. I don't want D – Jack to find me.'_ Ash refused to call that man his father anymore after what he had done.

Tentatively, Ash slowly opened the gate and limped through since his ankle suddenly hurting much more now that his adrenaline had worn off. After making sure the gate didn't make any noise when it shut, Ash slowly limped towards the forest at the furthest spot on the ranch. It was so far that you couldn't see even the edge of the forest from the lab, and the forest itself was gigantic so Ash held no fear of being found that night.

After what seemed like years, Ash finally reached the treeline. Forcing himself to go a ways in, Ash had to feel his way around to make sure he didn't walk into anything. Only when Ash tried to feel a tree in his left hand did he notice that it was currently clutching something inside of it. Ash was holding whatever it was so tightly, that his hand was quite sore and he wondered what it was since he didn't remember picking it up.

When Ash brought his right hand up to try and feel out what was inside his other fist, he felt a gentle brush against his skin of a fine metal chain. Even more confused than ever, Ash slowly opened his fist so as not to drop whatever it was, and began to feel what it was.

It was incredibly smooth but there were two small, rounded triangle-like shapes situated in a larger, semi-spherical portion with two triangle-like bumps, which were slightly rough around the edges. Attached to that portion was another, slimmer, rounded part that was slightly more oval-like but had two small bumps on either side. Two long, rounded portions that were flat on the bottom were attached to the very bottom of the oval-like shape. Finally, a long, thin, swirling part was connected at the back and got slightly thicker towards the end.

Ash wondered what he could possibly be holding before it hit him like a Hyper Beam. That is, incredibly painfully.

'_Mom's necklace,'_ Ash thought as his chest tightened painfully. _'But how? …The glass case! I must've accidentally grabbed it when my hand went through the case.'_

Thinking of what happened made Ash feel something he hadn't felt yet, anger. Ash was beyond angry, furious even, at what his father had done. He was half-tempted to throw the necklace in a fit of anger before Ash remembered that this was his _mother's_ necklace… her favourite necklace even. Delia's own mother had given it to her as had her mother and her mother… After nearly losing it, Delia decided to put it in a special case so that she wouldn't lose it. Ash promised to himself that he would keep the necklace safe since Delia…

Tiredness was beginning to blacken the edge of Ash's vision, so he quickly found a semi-soft patch of ground and lay curled up on his right side so that dirt wouldn't get in the cuts on his left arm or onto the necklace.

Even as he felt darkness take him completely, Ash held on as tightly as he could to his mother's precious necklace.

_**Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell. ~Edna St. Vincent Millay**_

**amethystdreamstar: gah that was so hard to write! I'm sorry for the slow update, I just struggled a lot writing the intense scenes going on. Then it took a while to get this edited since the person I sent it to forgot and I had to resend it -_-**

**I'd like to extend my sincerest gratitude to everyone who reviewed, you made my day :D**

**Hope you guys like what I'm writing so far :) **

**Reviews are more than welcome :P**


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